By Dominic Arthur, Staff Reporter.
A discussion about video games is coming to the English Division, but not in the way you’d expect.
This winter semester, three English 112 courses will offer students the opportunity to write about and critically discuss video games. The course is instructed by part-time action/adventure gamer and adjunct instructor of English,Vince Locke.
“I’ve been a gamer most of my life,” says Locke.
Students planning to sign up for the course can expect a lot of in-class discussion. The assignments– essays, reviews, evaluations and proposals – will be centered not only on video games, but gaming culture as a whole.
Timothy Szymanski, a Delta student, believes the class could be successful depending on how it’s executed.
“If it’s more showing how you apply English to that field, and break it down to that subject, it’ ,” says Szymanski.
Locke says you’ll learn argumentation, research and rhetoric. The only difference between his course and the typical English 112 is that students don’t earn grades, they earn experience points that move them along in the class.
Locke and other English instructors are given a lot of leeway in the way they approach their courses, as long as it corresponds with the English Division and college’s course outcomes and objectives.
“When I first tested the theme back in 2012, I told the [English]division chair at the time, Ray Lacina, ‘Hey, I want to approach this class on video games,’ and he said, ‘Sure.’ He was down with it,” Locke laughs.
He says there have been times when students came into his course believing they didn’t know much about video games.“Everyone games to some extent – even if it’s just mobile games or being on Facebook or even… Pac-Man back in the day. People have that frame of reference. They end up learning quite a lot about games that – perhaps – they didn’t already know.”
Locke jokingly says that his course is founded on video he wants to ensure his employment.
“I was looking for an angle on marketing my class so it didn’t get canceled [due to] lack of enrollment. Going with games was something that I enjoy, and something that I know quite a bit about.”
In the past, Locke’s students have told him that because of the course they were able to bond with family members who are gamers.
“I’ve had generations of families come into my classroom.I’ve taught their parents then the following semester the kids [came]in.”
Delta student, Gavin Whalen,says the course won’t flop because the video game industry is growing.
“It looks pretty good to me. With that, [gaming] journalism is also going to blow up, and that’s pretty big as it is,” says Whalen.
In the winter semester, sectionWN315 will meet Mondays from6:30 – 9:25 p.m.; WN183 will meet Tuesdays from 2 – 4:55 p.m.; andWN136 will meet Fridays from 9- 11:55 a.m.
For more information, contact Locke at vincelocke@delta.eduor the English Division office atenglish@delta.edu.
